"Good leverage" Trump talks about selling arms to Taiwan
US President Donald Trump sees his pending decision on further arms sales to the island of Taiwan, which is claimed by China, as effective leverage against Beijing. He is still leaving it up in the air, "it depends on China", Trump told Fox News. "Frankly, it's a very good bargaining chip for us." The deal, worth 14 billion US dollars (the equivalent of around 12 billion euros), involves a lot of weapons, Trump said.
16.05.2026, 05:28
16.05.2026, 08:14
SDA
Trump had previously said during his flight back to the USA from Beijing that he would make a decision in the near future. However, he would first have to discuss this with Taiwan. The US Congress had already pre-approved the latest arms deal with Taiwan in January 2025.
China opposes such arms sales because it claims Taiwan as its own, even though the island republic has an independent and democratic government. Taiwan was never part of the communist People's Republic founded in 1949. Nevertheless, China wants to incorporate Taiwan. Beijing has already threatened to deploy the military if this does not work peacefully. The USA has long supported Taiwan's efforts to modernize its armed forces and strengthen its defence capabilities.
Warnings from Beijing
During his talks with Trump in Beijing, China's head of state and party leader Xi Jinping warned of possible conflicts with the USA if the Taiwan issue is handled badly. This could put relations between China and the USA in an "extremely dangerous situation", he said on Thursday.
In the interview with Fox News, Trump emphasized that he had spoken with Xi about the issue at length. Taiwan has always been the most important thing for China's head of state and party leader. He does not believe "that they will do anything" as long as he is in office, Trump said - presumably with a view to possible military action by Beijing against Taiwan. The US President also emphasized that he wanted everything to remain as it currently is.
Why China senses Taiwan's independence aspirations
The Democratic Progressive Party has been in power in Taipei since 2016. Because independence for Taiwan is part of its program, Beijing considers the government to be separatist.
However, President Lai Ching-te declares that he is not seeking formal independence, as he believes that the island state with its 23 million inhabitants is effectively already an independent country. Taiwan's opposition, which has a majority in parliament and advocates more exchange with China, recently pushed through its own proposal for an extensive special defense budget that provides for further US arms purchases.
